It seems to be a human characteristic that most of us don’t relish change. We have routines and rituals that are pretty constant. We stick with the same cereal brand, we buy the same type of car, we sit in the same pew in Church. Change is always challenging but, most times, worth the effort. For all its faults and failings, I love the Catholic Church. The Church continues to do a power of good for those most at risk. It sticks up for unpopular causes in the name of right. Faithful Catholics give their lives every year around the world in efforts to create a more just and peaceful world. But it is one of my frustrations as a Catholic that we only do ‘glacial change’! Last Saturday’s ‘Australian’ newspaper quoted the senior Queensland Bishop, Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane, as suggesting that the time may well have come for the Church to reconsider the practice of mandatory celibacy for priests. The Archbishop believes that it is ‘very likely’ that the Church will soon abandon this demand. ‘Amen’ I say! Many will agree with him and say that this reform – to remove the compulsory nature of celibacy for priests – is well overdue. The Church changes slowly but it changes. It was not long ago, maybe under previous Popes, that any Bishop that came out publicly and questioned a long-held teaching like this, would find his next appointment somewhere to the west of Mongolia!

Additionally, all the Bishops are meeting with the Pope later this year for a 'Synod'. Mandatory Celibacy for priests is on their agenda along with the place of women in the Church and reaching out to groups previously outcast like the LGBTQ community.  This is a monumental change just to get these issues on an Agenda. Archbishop Coleridge correctly points out that in many cultures, including indigenous cultures, celibacy is a complete mystery and something that it very foreign. As difficult as it is, we are often called on by life and circumstance to change practices and points of view. Someone said to me recently as they shared their concern about ‘The Voice’ referendum that they feared this process would call on Australians to ‘re-write history’ from an indigenous point of view. Regardless of ‘The Voice’, our history needs to be re-written more accurately. I studied Australian history, to the brief extent it was taught, throughout school and University. I was never taught about Aboriginal heroes like Pemulwuy or Bennelong or the Kalkadoon wars or about David Uniapon whose face graces our $50 note. Lots of things from the past need to change. As my father used to often tell me, “It’s only fools and dead men who don’t change their minds!”

Mens’ Well-Being Breakfast with Darius Boyd is on Thursday August 31. I really hope Shalom Dads and Mums and Kids support this breakfast. It will be well worthwhile.

Tickets: https://www.trybooking.com/CJXJY 

Shalom Day + Grandparents Day is on Thursday of this week. Always a highlight of our year, I hope lots of grandparents will be able to join us for the morning. For catering purposes, can we please ask that Grandparents / Parents on behalf of Grandparents complete the form to RSVP for Shalom Day.

Shalom Day RSVP Form

Chicken Pox – I was alerted by a parent last week about the awful time their kids had dealing with a dose of this disease. They were unaware that the Government had changed the process on vaccinations and now parents had to seek this out themselves. If they had known that, they certainly would have. Might be worth your consideration if this is circulating at the moment.

Dance Performance Team just had a fantastic few days in Adelaide at the National Dance Championships. They enjoyed enormous individual and group success. We are very proud of these very talented young women and Ms McSherry and Ms McAtee who made this happen for them. I’m sure there will be reports and photos later in the Newsletter. Also, just ‘chuffed’ to get this email from people who attended this from Bundaberg who are not now directly connected to Shalom:

Hi Dan, I just want to let you know how proud I was to be able to witness the fantastic group of ladies dancing in Adelaide. John and I are neighbours of Lani Sologinkin‘s grandparents whom we travelled with to support the dancers. Our involvement was purely for enjoyment. The Shalom community should be very proud of the team who performed so well against some very high standards. To medal in 2 groups was such an honour and we couldn’t have been prouder to cheer along. The girls all were very supportive of each other and showed great sportsmanship. It brought back huge memories for us from our involvement with Rock eisteddfod days many years ago when our son Trent was a pupil of Shalom. You certainly still have a great school. Well done to all involved. John and Leanne